Follower of Giovanni Battista Cima da Conegliano (Italian, Conegliano ca. 1459–1517/18 Venice or Conegliano), The Virgin and Child with Saint Andrew and Saint Peter (unfinished), Late 15th or early 16th century. Oil on wood, 21 7/8 × 18 9/16 in. (55.6 × 47.2 cm) Framed: 24 11/16 in. × 21 3/8 in. × 3 3/16 in. (62.7 × 54.3 × 8.1 cm). Scottish National Gallery, Edinburgh © National Galleries of Scotland, Edinburgh
The unidentified Venetian artist who painted this panel closely followed Cima da Conegliano’s compositional ideas. The work was left incomplete for unknown reasons, offering us important insight into artistic practice at the turn of the sixteenth century. We see the various layers of the painting simultaneously, from the white gesso covering the panel and the brush underdrawing to the piecemeal painting of heads and other flesh tones, drapery, and landscape forms (the blue in the sky is a later addition). All areas would have been brought up to a more vivid appearance in its completed state. To the modern eye, the ghostly unpainted path and city on the hill, and the juxtaposition of realized and unrealized, are highly suggestive.
This work is exhibited in the “Unfinished: Thoughts Left Invisible” exhibition, on view through September 4th, 2016. #MetBreuer